Fruit drier



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. R. DEW.

FRUIT DRIER.

No. 320,543. Patented June 23, 1885.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. R. DEW.

FRUIT DRIER.

No. 320,543. Patented June 23, 1885.

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I H s g i I 4- up M Q w WITNESSES i wt/ g2 I 1W EJV'TOR UNITED STATES PATENT OrFIeE.

JOSEPH R. DEW, OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE.

FRUIT-DRIER.

SPECIPECATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,543, dated June 23, 1885.

- Application filed May 12, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.

Be it known that I, JosEPH R. DEW, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Knoxville, in the county of Knox and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Fruit- Drier, of which the following is a specifioa tion, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has relation to fruit-driers, and is designed as an improvement on the fruit-drier described and shownin Letters Patent No. 284,726, granted to me September 11, 1883; and it consists in the construction and novel arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure l is a view in perspective of a fruitdrier embodying my improvements.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on the line y y in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 a is vertical longitudinal section on the line 2 c, Fig; 1. Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of one of the fruit-drawers. Fig. 6 is a view in perspective of one of the bleacher frames; and Fig. 7 is a detail View of the sulphur-burner.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A designates the furnace; B, the smoke-stack, and O the boiler of the fruit drier. The boiler O is preferably rectangular in form, and has four steamrpipes, D, one at each corner,connected at their upper and lower ends by horizontal steam-pipes E E, and connected also by end walls, F F, to form the casing or frame for the steam-boxes G, the fruit-drawers, and the bleaeherw The steamboxes G have openings H at their corners,and communicate through these openings with the steam-fines D. The bottoms of the steamboxes G are drawn up at their centers by thimbles Lconnecting with their top walls, to cause the water of condensation to run to the corners of the steam-boxes, and back through the steam-pipes D to the boiler.

K designates the water-pipe, and K the funnel through which water is supplied to the boiler.

L is the steam-escape pipe, and M the wateroutlet covered by a screwcap. The water-outlet M is located in the upper horizontal steam-pipe, E, and the steam-escapc pipe L Fig. 2 is s a vertical longitudinal section on the line xx, Fig. 1.

also connects with this pipe E, and extends down over the funnel K.

The fruit-drawers N consist of the longitudinal wooden slats a, the transverse wooden slat b, the grooved metal end slats, c c, and the metal side walls, d. The fruit-drawers Nare provided with central wire loops f, which are passed up through the thimbles I, and wedges g are passed through their projecting ends to suspend the fruit-drawers below the steamboxes G.

The bleacher 0 consists of the two half parallelogram frames P P, provided with flange walls 1? for closing the space between two of the steam-boxes G, and a series of inwardlyprojecting rectangular wires, Q, upon which the pealed, cored, and sliced fruit is hung and every side of the fruit exposed and subjected to sulphur smoke from the sulphur'burner R, suspended from the thimble I in the steamboX that forms its bottom by a pin, S, passed through perforations in the pipe R of the burner It. The bleacher'lrames P P are held in place by the arms h h of a pivoted rod, U, having bearings on the top of the steam-box which forms the top of the bleacher.

Any number of steam boxes and fruitdrawers may be used with the single boiler having the steampipes arranged as hereinbefore described.

The steam ascends the corner pipes, and is distributed equally and freely to the steamboxes, heating them quickly. ;The corner pipes give greater strength. to the structure than in my former construction. The fruit dries uniformly and quicker. The spaces beneath the fruit-drawers are left open so that the air carries the vapor arising from the fruit away and prevents it from wetting other fruit. The drawers being suspended are easier to handle and may be more conveniently applied, and the bleacher is more convenient than the common side-box bleachers.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a fruit-drier, the combination, with the boiler and the corner steam-pipes connected by horizontal steam-pipes, of the herein-described steam-boxes communicating at their corners or ends with the corner steampipes and having their bottoms drawn up or raised at their centers, whereby the water of condensation is caused to run to the corners of the steamboxes and back through the steam-pipes to the boiler, as set forth.

2. In a fruit-drier, the combinationpwith the steam-boxes having the thimble or opening, of the fruit-drawers provided with a loop or extension which passes through the thimble or opening, and means, substantially as described, for detachably securing the loop or extension in the opening, for the'purpose set forth.

3. In a fruit-drier, the combination, with the steam-boxes having a central opening or thimble, of the fruit-drawer having its side; walls clasping the sides of the boxes, aloopf or equivalent device passing through the opening or thimble of the boxes, and means, subl stantially as described, for securing the loop;

in place to hold the drawers against the un- Q der side of the boxes, as set forth. 4. The combination, with the steam-boxes, of the bleacher-frames normally closing the space between the boxes, and a pivoted rodi having arms for holding the bleacher-frames in place, as set forth. 5. The combination, with the boiler, of the; steam-boxes arranged in a series one above the other, the walls F F, connecting the ends of the boxes and openings through the walls to allow communication with the boxes, semicylindrical strips fitted to the outside of the walls over the openings so as to form steampipes D, and corresponding strips fitted to the: walls at the top and bottom, forming steampipesE E, which communicate with the ends: a

of the pipes D, arranged and combined as set forth. i 6. In a fruit-drier, the combination,\vith the boiler, and a funnel communicating therewith and located on the outside of the boiler, of the steam-boxes connected together by the end walls to form the casing or frame for the boxes, the corner steam-pipes fitted to the outside of the end wall and communicating with the boxes, the horizontal steam-pipes connecting the vertical corner pipes, and the water-escape pipe arranged on the outside of the end wall of the casing above the funnel and connecting with the top horizontal steampipe, so that the water of condensation escap ing from the water-pipe will drip into the funnel, for the purpose set forth.

7. In a fruit-drier, the combination, with the boiler, and the funnel for supplying water to the same located on the outside of the boiler, of the steam-boxes, the steam-pipes connecting with the boiler and delivering steam to the boxes, and the water-escape pipe L,counecting with the steam-pipes and located in a vertical line on the outside of the boxes above the funnel, the lower end of the escape-pipe being turned up or provided with an elbow, so that the water of condensation escaping from the latter will drip into the funnel and return to the boiler, as set forth.

8. In a fruit-drier, the combination, with the steam-boxes, of the herein-described bleacher consisting of two frames independently removable, and each of which has a series of inwardly-projecting wires or hangers upon which the fruit is suspended, as set forth.

9. In afruitdrier, the combination, with the steam-boxes, of the herein-described bleacher normally closing the space between the boxes, and provided with a series of wires or hangers upon which the fruit is suspended, for the purpose set forth.

10. In a fruit-drier, the combination, with the steam-boxes having a central opening or thimble, of the bleacher-frames fitting in the space between the boxes, and the sulphur burner having its pipe projecting up through the thimble or opening into the bleachingchamber, as set forth.

11. In a fruit-drier, the fruit-drawer N, consisting of the wooden slats a and b, grooved metal end slats, a c, and metal side walls, (1, substantially as specified.

12. In a fruit-drier, the combination, with the steam-box G, having the central thimble, I, oft-he fruit-drawer N, provided with theloop f, and the wedge g, substantially as specified.

13. In a fruit-drier, the combination, with the steam-boxes, ofthe bleacher-frames P, having flange-walls P and angular wires Q, and the sulphur-burner R, secured to the lower steam-box and having its pipe projecting up through the thimble into the bleaching-chamber, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH R. DEW.

I Witnesses:

O. J. YEARY, J. H. FORRESTER. 

